Soft Polenta Evenings

Tune of the Moment: Satie's "Gnossiennes No. 1 - Lent", which I came as part of the soundtrack for "The Painted Veil", even though Alexandre Desplat composed the rest of the film's score.

As it turns out, my mother is not completely supportive of my starting a blog. She said that blogging is narcissistic-and I agree, completely. However, narcissism hasn't stopped millions of other people from plying the internet with their thoughts, so I don't see why it should hinder my attempt to join the masses. So, with that sentiment established, I continue on blogging bliss...

My sister, K, was in the aisles of one of South Africa's finest supermarkets yesterday evening (this particular store, incidentally, allows you to load your basket with imported strawberries, rotisserie chicken portions and Franschhoek trout while listening to the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Betty Cater through the speaker system-very classy). She was deliberating whether to purchase smoked trout fillets or hake fillets. Hake is a local fish-flaky without a very strong "fishy" scent. My mum thinks it's boring and never cooks it for us unless using it in a fish recipe-fish cakes, fish parcels, etc. I advised K to go with the hake because its more neutral flavour would allow her more freedom in cooking it. She decided I was right and proceeded to exclaim that she would put it on the braai (barbecue for the Americans).

This anecdote is not of particular importance, but our conversation ended with my declaring I would make polenta for dinner. And I did. Blogging and hake aside, another topic that my mum and I differ on, is the deliciousness of mushy food. Mum hates anything that resembles baby food. I, on the other hand, find overcooked rice, tapioca, "glue" potatoes (potatoes beyond-mashed in a food processor so that they are the consistency of pancake batter), and porridge to be the ultimate comfort foods. So it should come as no surprise that I adore soft polenta. The pictures were, again, not totally successful so I'll post the recipe with a picture of this morning's tea.

Because my eyes are always bigger than my stomach, I have a penchant for big mugs. It either comes from my father's big-mug obsession, or from the fact that it's just more satisfying to wrap one's hands around a large, smooth, warm mug. This mug is my favourite and comes from the awesome pottery/gallery shop in Kalkbay, above Olympia Deli.

Soft Polenta with Mushrooms, Spinach and Onion Marmalade

1/2 cup polenta

2 cups water

A handful of mushrooms (any variety-I used shiitake and button)

A handful of spinach (I used baby spinach)

Grated cheese (I used New Zealand cheddar but gruyere would work too)

Store-bought onion marmalade (I used the Woolworths brand-my fave)

Lots of salt (more than you suspect)

A glug of olive oil 

Butter (optional)

1. Bring the 2 cups of water to the boil on the stove.

2. While water is boiling, heat frying pan, add oil, add mushrooms on low heat.

3. Add 1/2 cup polenta to the boiling water and lower heat to simmer-level.

4. Stir polenta slowly, enjoying how it thickens just as the polenta-packet-cooking-instructions said it would! Miracle!

5. When polenta consistency is to your liking-add more water to thin it out-take it off the heat and mix in salt, grated cheese, and a nob of butter if you wish.

6. Add spinach to mushrooms and allow it to wilt.

7. Add mushrooms and spinach to the polenta, folding the mixture slowly and lovingly.

8. Add a dollop of onion marmalade and tweak the seasoning.

9. Eat slowly while watching trashy tv and simultaneously checking facebook.

*Footnote: I shall be using the South African spellings for "favourite", "colour", and a myriad of other words that I think look silly when missing the vowel "u" or using the letter "z" instead of "s." AnalySe that my lovely readers!